Au Gratin Potatoes are soft and buttery cooked potatoes layered with rich Gouda cheese, sprinkled with herbs and bread crumbs, and baked until it turns brown from the top. These cheesy loaded potatoes are great to serve as a side dish for special dinners.
Potato is an eternal favorite and makes for a wonderful ingredient in dishes such as the Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potato and Warm Potato Salad.
Jump to:
About This Recipe
Au Gratin Potatoes is a lightly herbed and flavored Italian dish that has layers of thinly sliced potatoes, cheesy sauce, mixed herbs, and bread crumbs.
Bread crumbs on top create a nice crusty layer which adds to the texture of this gratin.
Once you take a bite, you will taste the crusty bread crumb layer along with soft and cheesy potatoes flavored with delicious Italian herbs.
The flavors just burst into your mouth, once you take a bite of this gratin and I assure you, that you will not stop after taking that first bite.
Perfect for brunch, this gratin has two ingredients, Potatoes and Cheese, that is loved by everyone, be it a kid or an adult.
You can also substitute potatoes with chicken or add in chicken pieces too if you are looking for a nonvegetarian version.
You can even use ham or bacon for non vegetarian gratins.
This Au Gratin Potato is,
- Delicious
- Cheesy
- Easy to make
- Loved by kids as well as adults
- Perfect for weeknight dinner
- Apt for brunch
Ingredients
Potatoes – You can use any Potatoes of your choice. For a healthier alternative, you can even opt for Sweet Potatoes.
For the Sauce – To make the creamy sauce for gratins, we will need butter, onions, flour, milk, gouda cheese, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.
I have used two cheese, Gouda and Cheddar as the combination of two tastes great in this gratin.
You can even add red chilli flakes, if you like it to be spicy.
Breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are used on the top, to create a nice crunchy crust. So do not miss this one.
Herbs – I have used fresh thyme and rosemary but you can add any herb sof your choice to flavour it more.
Step By Step Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add 2 tablespoon butter in a pan and add the onions.
Cook till onions starts to brown. Add little sprinkling of water and cook till onions are really browned and softened.
Add flour and fry for a few seconds.
Now add milk very slowly and whisk to make a lump free mixture. Cook the sauce on low heat until it thickens.
Add cheddar cheese, gouda cheese and cook until it melts. Season with salt and pepper.
Your sauce for the gratin is ready.
In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, arrange potato slices in an upright manner.
Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle the herbs and breadcrumbs on top.
Cover the skillet with a foil.
Transfer the skillet in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until potatoes are tender and slightly browned from the top.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are nicely browned from the top. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can definitely reheat Potatoes Au Gratin. You can make this gratin ahead of time and heat it when you want to serve it.
Just cover the gratin with a layer of foil or an oven-safe lid and reheat it for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
Both these dishes use sliced potatoes and cheese, but they differ a bit from each other.
While in Gratin, sliced potatoes are covered with breadcrumbs and cheese and then baked until brown.
But in Scalloped Potatoes, the sliced potatoes are baked with heavy cream or milk.
Another minor difference between the two is the way, potatoes are sliced.
In both the dishes, the potatoes are cut into rounds and added into the casserole, but the potatoes used in scalloped potatoes are often cut a bit thicker than those in au gratin potatoes.
Most of the people use Cheddar or Mozzarella Cheese to make Potato Au Gratin, but here I have used Gouda Cheese as it gives a nice smoky flavor that is loved by everyone at home.
If you like the strong flavor of blue cheese, you can use Stilton Cheese, Pepper Jack Cheese to give a hint of spice to your gratins or Gruyere Cheese for a nutty taste and melty texture.
If you have an option to select from the variety of potatoes, always chose Russets Potatoes for the gratin; as they have the most starch and make the creamiest sauce.
You can use any potatoes for this gratin, even sweet potatoes taste great when used in this gratin.
If you are making Mashed Potatoes Au Gratin, you can opt for Yukon Gold Potatoes, they taste the best.
Try making a Mashed Potatoes Au Gratin instead of this classic recipe.
You just have to substitute flavourful mashed potatoes mixed with the sliced potatoes.
To make the mashed potatoes, you have to first cook the mashed potatoes along with chicken stock and garlic and then mix it with melted butter for the best taste.
If you use only milk to make this Gratin, there is a high chance that the sauce will curdle. The protein in the milk has a high chance of curdling. Once the temperature hits 180ºF and above the milk tends to curdle.
That’ the reason we add in the cheese, to make it extra creamy, which increases the fat and there are fewer chances of curdling.
I have used a combination of Gouda and Cheddar, but you can even try other Cheese options such as Gruyere Cheese, Sharp Cheddar, Parmesan etc.
Serving Suggestions
Every household has its own way to serve gratin. I like to serve this cheesy Potato Gratin with slices of toasted homemade herbed bread for a light dinner.
But if you are looking for a wholesome meal, you can serve it along with Roasted/Grilled Chicken, Pan Roasted Steak, Pork Chops or any other similar dish.
You can also serve a light Italian soup or salad on the side with Au Gratin Potatoes.
Storage Suggestions
Potato Au Gratin freezes beautifully. Just airtight it with an aluminum foil or a plastic wrap so that air doesn’t go inside the container.
Freeze it for about 2 weeks, as beyond that it can become a little smelly.
Though, I would recommend you to make it fresh and enjoy, as this dish is very easy and quick to make.
You might also like
Recipe Card
Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Onion (Chopped)
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 1 kg Potato (Cut into thin slices)
- 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Full Fat Milk
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)
- 1 cup Gouda Cheese (Shredded)
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Thyme
- ¼ cup Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add 2 tablespoon butter in a pan and add the onions.
- Cook till onions starts to brown.
- Add little sprinkling of water and cook till onions are really browned and softened.
- Add flour and fry for a few seconds.
- Now add milk very slowly and whisk to make a lump free mixture.
- Cook the sauce on low heat until it thickens.
- Add cheddar cheese and cook until it melts.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, arrange potato slices in an upright manner.
- Pour the sauce over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle the herbs and breadcrumbs on top.
- Cover the skillet with a foil.
- Transfer the skillet in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until potatoes are tender and slightly browned from the top.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are nicely browned from the top.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!